Recoil reduction and sighting-in system for a firearm

ABSTRACT

A recoil reduction system for sighting-in a firearm is disclosed. The system includes an attachment member configured and arranged to attach to a surface or object, such as a shooting bench, tree stand or a tree. A strap having a first end and a second end is included. The first end of the strap is connected to the attachment member. A sling is formed on the second end of the strap. The sling has a loop configured and arranged to receive the buttstock of a rifle. A stand having a rigid plate configured and arranged to support a bipod of a rifle may also be included.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This patent document claims priority to earlier filed U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/485,231, filed on May 12, 2011, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present patent document relates generally to firearms accessories and more specifically to an apparatus and method to reduce recoil while sighting-in a scope on a firearm.

2. Background of the Related Art

Sighting-in a telescopic sight (or “scope”) for a firearm is a process, some might call a ritual, for hunters to align and calibrate the scope so that the crosshairs of the scope converge with the barrel over predetermined distances for specific types of ammunition.

Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary firearm 10 is shown generally. The firearm 10 shown is a bolt-action rifle, which generally includes barrel 12, a forend 14 of the stock 16 supporting the barrel and functions as a forward grip for the hunter's off hand. The stock 16 extends rearward from the forend 14 and terminates in a buttstock 18, which has a heel 20 (the top corner of the buttstock) and a toe 22 (the bottom corner of the buttstock). A receiver 24 occupies the rear portion of the barrel 12 towards the stock 16 and includes the bolt 26. A trigger 28 is also provided to initiate firing of a cartridge that is placed in the receiver 24 with the bolt 26 locked forward. A scope 30 may be attached to, or over, the top of the barrel 12. A bipod 32 may be provided to support a forward portion of the barrel 12. Although a bolt-action rifle is generally described here, any type rifle or firearm 10 that is being used with a scope 30 must be sighted-in in order to ensure accuracy and alignment of the scope 30.

The procedure for sighting-in a firearm is well known in the art and need not be recited in detail here. But the process of sighting in suffers from a couple of disadvantages. First is ensuring that the firearm is stable throughout the sighting-in process. Every time the rifle is fired recoil from the cartridge exploding will necessarily move the rifle, which can cause hunter's pain and cause them to flinch in anticipation of the recoil. If the hunter flinches it will introduce an error in the sighting in process. It is therefore desirable to minimize the movement of the firearm due to recoil during sighting-in. One prior art solution to this problem is the use of so-called sighting stand. U.S. Patent Publication 2008/0209790 shows an example of this type of apparatus for sighting-in a rifle. However, these sighting stands are heavy and expensive.

Therefore there is a need in the industry for an apparatus to reduce or absorb the movement from recoil of the firearm during sighting-in to eliminate or reduce the chance of hunter's flinching and, thereby, improve the overall accuracy of the calibration.

Second, because the hunter is firing multiple sets of rounds during the sighting in process, the hunter may suffer an injury induced by the recoil of the firearm if the hunter is not properly prepared to absorb the recoil, is fatigued, is firing a high-power cartridge, the hunter is small or frail of stature, such as a child, elderly person, is inexperienced, or a combination of the above conditions exist. The injury could be as minimal as bruising of the shoulder to a severe eye injury from being struck by the scope.

Therefore, there is a need in the industry for a method to reduce the risk of injury during sighting-in of a rifle.

SUMMARY

The system described herein solves the problems of the prior art by providing a recoil reduction strap that includes an attachment portion configured to attach to the shooting bench and a sling that goes about the buttstock of the firearm to absorb the recoil of the firearm when it is fired. The system may optionally further include a plate to provide a hard surface for a bipod to rest on. Because the strap absorbs the recoil from the firearm the firearm remains highly stable during the sighting-in process. Furthermore, the risk of injury as a result of recoil is significantly reduced or virtually eliminated. The system is also highly compact and light-weight making the system a significant improvement over prior art sighting stands.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 is a right side elevation view of an exemplary bolt-action rifle having a scope that needs sighting-in;

FIG. 2 is a right side elevation view of the system shown attached to a bolt-action rifle with a scope and a shooting bench;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the system shown attached to a bolt-action rifle with a scope and a shooting bench;

FIG. 4A, is a right side perspective view of a clamp used as an attachment member to anchor the strap of the system to a shooting bench;

FIG. 4B, is a right side perspective view of a claw used as an attachment member to anchor the strap of the system to a shooting bench;

FIG. 4C, is a right side perspective view of a hook used as an attachment member to anchor the strap of the system to a shooting bench;

FIG. 5A is a perspective view of the midway point of the strap and buckle strap adjuster that may be used with the system;

FIG. 5B is a perspective view of the midway point of the strap and stamped metal strap adjuster that may be used with the system;

FIG. 5C is a perspective view of the midway point of the strap and clasp strap adjuster that may be used with the system;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the rearward portion of the strap showing the two legs of the strap;

FIG. 7 is a bottom perspective view a rifle with the strap attached to the buttstock thereof;

FIG. 8A is a perspective view of the sling of the strap with a hook and loop adjustment portion that may be used with the system;

FIG. 8B is a perspective view of the sling of the strap with an elastic band adjustment portion that may be used with the system;

FIG. 9 is a close up, left side perspective view of the receiver and rearward portion of the stock of a rifle with the sling attached thereto;

FIG. 10 is a close up, left side perspective view of the buttstock of a rifle with the sling shown attached thereto;

FIG. 11A is a top, front perspective view of a stand that may be used with the system; and

FIG. 11B is a bottom, rear perspective view of a stand that may be used with the system.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The recoil reduction and sighting-in system is shown generally at 100 in FIGS. 2 and 3 set up with a firearm 10, such as a bolt action rifle having a scope 30. The system 100 includes a strap 102 and an optional leveling stand 104 (best seen in FIG. 12).

Turning first to the strap 102, the strap 102 includes an attachment member 106 for attaching to the end of a shooting bench at a firing range. As shown in FIGS. 4A-C, the attachment member 106 may be formed as a single hook 106 a (FIG. 4A), as multiple hooks or a claw 106 b (FIG. 4B), or an adjustable clamp 106 c (FIG. 4C). Other structures may be used to attach the end of the strap 102 to the shooting bench.

The strap 102 is preferably formed from a tough and durable material, such as nylon webbing, but other materials may be used.

About midway down the strap 102 is a strap adjuster 108, which may be formed in a number of different structures as shown in FIG. 5A-C, a buckle 108A (FIG. 5A), stamped metal strap adjuster 108B (FIG. 5B) and a clasp 108C (FIG. 5C) may be used. The strap adjuster 108 could also be other variations of loops, slides, clasps, buckles, tri loops, reducing loops, and stamped metal strap adjusters as are known in the art. The strap adjuster 108 allows the length of the strap 102 to be adjusted as needed for the length of the firearm 10 and the depth of the shooting bench. Although metal strap adjusters 108 are preferred for their strength and durability, other materials may be used such as plastic, resin, nylon, and other durable synthetic materials.

Referring now to FIG. 6, after the strap adjuster 108, the strap 102 separates into two legs 110 that are attached to a sling 112 that wraps about the stock 16 just forward of the buttstock 18 of the rifle 10. The two legs 110 are configured to extend along either side of the stock 16 when attached to a firearm 10 as seen in FIG. 7. Preferably, the two legs 110 do not separate prior to the small 34 of the stock 16 to limit possible interference with the hunter's operation of the trigger 28 and action of the firearm 10.

Referring now to FIG. 8A and 8B, the sling 112 includes a loop 113 that is goes around the stock 16 near the heel 20 and toe 22 of the buttstock 18. The loop 113 may include an adjustment portion 114, such as hook and loop fastener 114A (FIG. 8A) or an elastic band 114B (FIG. 8B) to secure the loop 113 more tightly or snuggly about the buttstock 18. The sling 112 further includes at least one, and preferably two or more, buttstock straps 116 attached to the loop 113 that wrap to the rear of the buttstock 18. Together, the loop 113 and buttstock straps 116 form a snug fit about the buttstock 18 of the firearm 10 best seen in FIGS. 9-10.

Referring now to FIGS. 11A and 11B, the stand 104 includes a rigid plate 118 made of steel or other hard and durable substance. The plate 118 further includes four feet 120 that may be manipulated to level the plate 118 when placed on an uneven or sloped surface. The feet 112 are threaded into bores 122 on the plate 118 and include a lock nut 124 to prevent the feet 120 from loosening from the bores 122. The feet 120 may further include sharpened or pointed ends to provide added grip to the feet 120 when placed on a soft or smooth surface.

At a firing range, the hunter secures the attachment member 106 of the sling 102 to the end of the shooting bench. The hunter may then optionally place the stand 104 over the strap 102 near the end of the shooting bench if the hunter is using a bipod 32. The hunter then places the buttstock 18 of the firearm in the sling 112 ensuring the strap 102 is underneath the stock 16 and that both legs 110 separate to either side of the stock 16 of the firearm 10. The hunter then tightens the loop 113 if necessary and if an adjustment portion 114 on the loop 113 is present. The hunter then makes any final adjustments to the strap adjuster 108 to make sure the length of the strap 102 is appropriate and comfortable. If the hunter is using a bipod 32 and the optional stand 104, the hunter must then level the firearm 10 using either the feet 120 on the plate 118 of the stand 104 or the adjustment mechanism provided on the bipod 32. The hunter is now prepared to sight-in the firearm 10 using the system 100. As can be appreciated, because the strap 102 is attached to the shooting bench and the buttstock 18 of the firearm 10, recoil from when the firearm 10 is fired is absorbed by the strap 102. The firearm 10 is kept stable for the sighting-in procedure and discomfort and risk of injury to the hunter due to recoil of the firearm 10 is virtually eliminated.

Although the system 100 was designed for sighting in a firearm 10 at a range at a shooting range, it should be noted that the system 100 may be used while hunting as well.

Therefore, it can be seen that the recoil reduction strap described above provides a unique solution to the problem of providing a system that reduces recoil in the firearm so that the firearm may be more accurately sighted-in. Also, because the system absorbs most of the recoil of the firearm, the risk of injury to the hunter is also minimized as well.

It would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made to the illustrated embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention. All such modifications and changes are intended to be within the scope of the present invention. 

1. A recoil reduction system, comprising: an attachment member; a strap having a first end and a second end, the first end of the strap connected to the attachment member; and a sling formed on the second end of the strap, the sling having a loop configured and arranged to receive the buttstock of a rifle.
 2. The recoil reduction system of claim 1, wherein the attachment member is a hook.
 3. The recoil reduction system of claim 1, wherein the attachment member is a claw.
 4. The recoil reduction system of claim 1, wherein the attachment member is a clamp.
 5. The recoil reduction system of claim 1, further comprising a strap adjuster about midway down the strap.
 6. The recoil reduction system of claim 1, wherein the strap adjuster is a buckle.
 7. The recoil reduction system of claim 1, wherein the strap adjuster is a stamped metal strap adjuster.
 8. The recoil reduction system of claim 1, wherein the strap adjuster is a clasp.
 9. The recoil reduction system of claim 1, wherein the strap separates into two legs that are attached to the sling.
 10. The recoil reduction system of claim 1, wherein the sling includes a loop configured and arranged to go around the stock near the heel and toe of the buttstock of the rifle.
 11. The recoil reduction system of claim 10, wherein the loop includes an adjustment portion.
 12. The recoil reduction system of claim 11, wherein the adjustment portion is a hook and loop fastener.
 13. The recoil reduction system of claim 11, wherein the adjustment portion is an elastic band.
 14. The recoil reduction system of claim 1, wherein the sling further includes a buttstock strap attached to the loop configured and arranged to wrap around the rear of the buttstock.
 15. The recoil reduction system of claim 1, further comprising a stand having a rigid plate configured and arranged to support a bipod of a rifle.
 16. The recoil reduction system of claim 1, wherein the plate further includes four adjustable feet configured and arranged to level the stand.
 17. The recoil reduction system of claim 1, wherein the feet are threaded into bores on the plate and secured by a lock nut to prevent the feet from loosening from the bores.
 19. The recoil reduction system of claim 1, wherein the feet include pointed ends. 